Google Nexus 7 to top a million monthly sales in December

More than 1 million Google Nexus 7 tablets are expected to be sold this month as Google's own branded Android tablet looks to rival the iPad.

According to DigiTimes, global sales of the affordable 7-inch Android tablet have been steadily rising. With initial Google Nexus 7 sales seeing the Asus manufactered device shifting 500,000-600,000 units a month, this figure which grew to 800,000-900,000 for November.

Latest reports state that the Google Nexus 7's Taiwan-based manufacturers expect to pass the 1 million monthly sales point in December. The Google Nexus 7 line-up was recently refreshed with a 32GB version and a model with 3G mobile connectivity.

As official sales figures are scarce, supplier sources are often the best indicator of a gadget's popularity. DigiTimes’ sources say that one of the supply-chain companies, Taiwan’s Quanta Computer, expects to ship a total of 2 to 3 million Nexus 7 tablets in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Quanta also reportedly supplies the Amazon Kindle Fire, which, if the sources are accurate, could be even more popular at this end of the year, with 3-4 million sales estimated for October to December.

They are both likely to be outsold by the Apple iPad mini however, which is said to have shipped 1.5 million units in November and will reach 2 million in December, but it looks like many of the circa-7inch tablets are selling healthily and Apple is finally facing strong competition in the tablet sector.

If you are after a ‘mini’ tablet for Christmas, will it be a Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, iPad mini or something else? Discuss it on our Twitter and Facebook feeds or via the comments boxes below.